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This infant adventure : offspring of the Royal Gardens at Kew / Christian Lamb.

By: Material type: TextPublication details: London : Bene Factum, 2010.Description: 224 pages : illustrations (some color), color map, portraits (1 color) ; 26 cmISBN:
  • 1903071291
  • 9781903071298
Subject(s): LOC classification:
  • QK
Online resources:
Contents:
The St Vincent Botanic Gardens -- The Botanic Gardens Jamaica -- The Singapore Botanic Garden -- The Botanic Garden, Java -- Pamplemousses Botanic Gardens, Mauritius -- Perandeniya Botanic Garden, Ceylon -- The Royal Botanic Garden, Calcutta -- The Botanic Gardens of Australia, Sydney -- The Melbourne Botanic Garden -- The Botanic Garden, Canberra.
Summary: A lively survey of some of the colonial botanic gardens which evolved in the wake of the development of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. The author shows that these botanic gardens were the heartbeat of an empire, shining 'a light on an extraordinary period of history and the people who made it'. Chapters are devoted to, amongst others, the gardens of St. Vincent, Peradeniya (Sri Lanka), Calcutta, Singapore, Mauritius, Melbourne and Sydney.Summary: "The contribution of diplomatic, military, and naval exploits in the formation of the British Empire are well recorded, but far less well-known are those of botanic gardens which, in their own unsung way, helped to underpin the Empire’s commercial success and were also instrumental in furthering botanical knowledge around the world. Christian Lamb, distinguished plantswoman and garden historian, writes in her introduction 'It so happens that I 'collect' botanic gardens . . . this book is a nebulous collection of a few chosen botanic gardens from the vast array available-the stars in their spheres . . . and the remarkable array of the often learned and entrepreneurial characters that created them.'" (From the publisher.)
List(s) this item appears in: New to the Library: July 2025

Includes index.

The St Vincent Botanic Gardens -- The Botanic Gardens Jamaica -- The Singapore Botanic Garden -- The Botanic Garden, Java -- Pamplemousses Botanic Gardens, Mauritius -- Perandeniya Botanic Garden, Ceylon -- The Royal Botanic Garden, Calcutta -- The Botanic Gardens of Australia, Sydney -- The Melbourne Botanic Garden -- The Botanic Garden, Canberra.

A lively survey of some of the colonial botanic gardens which evolved in the wake of the development of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. The author shows that these botanic gardens were the heartbeat of an empire, shining 'a light on an extraordinary period of history and the people who made it'. Chapters are devoted to, amongst others, the gardens of St. Vincent, Peradeniya (Sri Lanka), Calcutta, Singapore, Mauritius, Melbourne and Sydney.

"The contribution of diplomatic, military, and naval exploits in the formation of the British Empire are well recorded, but far less well-known are those of botanic gardens which, in their own unsung way, helped to underpin the Empire’s commercial success and were also instrumental in furthering botanical knowledge around the world. Christian Lamb, distinguished plantswoman and garden historian, writes in her introduction 'It so happens that I 'collect' botanic gardens . . . this book is a nebulous collection of a few chosen botanic gardens from the vast array available-the stars in their spheres . . . and the remarkable array of the often learned and entrepreneurial characters that created them.'" (From the publisher.)

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